ironhorse_iv
Ne t'inquiete pas, personne n'est parfait. Nevertheless, this movie directed by Prem Soni/Prem Raj indeed had a rough production in 2012. Shot mainly on locations in Europe, at very great expense, the film suffer financial issues afterwards in post-production where they couldn't pay the crew to finish the film. To add to that problem, the director was also being treated for Cancer, so, nobody was unable to edit the movie. It got so bad, that the film got postponed multiple times before finally being released on 24 May 2013 with really bad editing cuts. You see examples of some, after the Eiffel Tower scene. To add insult, the film also couldn't find its target audience. It doesn't know, if it wanted to be, a French movie or a Hindu movie. More bad luck came when the film was unable to compete for audience against the Indian Premier League cricket finals held, during its opening weekend. So, nobody bother to go see it; and it slowly fell into obscurity. I just happen to catch the movie, on DVD at my local library. It looks somewhat interesting, so I decided to check it, out, even if I don't speak, a word of Hindi. Sadly, after watching it, I couldn't get eperdument amoureux with this Bollywood movie. The love story about two complete Hindi strangers, Akash (Rhehan Malliek AKA Gaurav Chanana) and Ishkq Elise (Preity Zinta), falling in love, after having met on a train from Rome to Paris, end up spending the evening together in the romantic city, was highly clichés. It really does nearly hit all the romantic tropes such as our lovers pretend to be engaged in order to solve a pointless exterior plot problem like going to a wedding, often with a set of elaborate rules and limitations for their relationship, adding family expectations, cultural traditions, or religious beliefs bring our lovers together or try to keep them apart, follow up by a stupid reason to break up, cue to the heartbreak cry in the rain, and last ditch run attempt to get one of the lovers, from leaving the city by transportation. I wonder, where I have saw that before. Oh yeah, many of other romantic movies, before this. The movie was highly predictable. The other problem with this film, is the lack of conflict. You would think, that the misunderstanding for reasons, why they couldn't be, together, would play out, more. After all, it really did seem like Ishkq wasn't going to commit to Akash's advances for a relationship after what her supposedly last boyfriend did to her. Instead, that part of the story, is never brought up, and the second half falls back to love montage routine, until the childish weak subplot about Ishkq having Daddy's issues come up, resulting in a very awkward ending, with her movie-star mother, Marie (Isabelle Adjani) having to solve it. It was a very weak climax. I also found it, very jarring that both of the lovers, were able to find each other, so easily, after separating the first night. You would think, they would have some trouble with that, since both of them, barely talk about their lives. I was really disappointed with the destiny metaphor. I was hoping the film would had a more 2001's 'Serendipity', feel to it. Much of that movie's charm and humor, comes from the fact, that both of these characters, barely miss connecting with each other & the conflict that comes with moving on, or staying still for a relationship. Instead, the movie was humorless, and somewhat creepy. It's weird to see Akash stalk her through Facebook, which, the movie doesn't establish her, having nor her, telling him, her last name, while Ishkq stressfully seem to move on. It also, weird to see Akash magically out of the blue, find out, where she lives, without establishing where she work, before this point in the film. It also puzzling that none of the clues, the film try to introduce, were used in, rediscovering each other. You would think, that note in the coffee store or the psychic bellow dancer, would play out, more. Sadly, it does not. There is a lot of loose ends. Secondly the narrative format of the voice over is quite confusing, as it seems like the movie-star mother is talking about fictional characters of her stage play, but it turn out to be about her real-life daughter's relationship with Akash, whom she happen to write a script call 'Autumn in Paris', way before they ever met. If that isn't bizarre enough, that includes, having fake scene where Akash and Ishkq act out scenes out of a fake movie, while being in a movie, where events happens between them, where there is no way, Marie could had known what was happening, like a made up scene in Rome with a Italian waiter. Also, if we're to believe that Ishkq told her, everything about her relationship with Akash, are we to believe, that her night was made by a magic dice, follow by a weird nightclub Hindi music video with characters like Ghostface from 1997's 'Scream', serving them drinks, and a wedding scene where actor, Salman Khan, randomly show up for a dance number. How would anybody in the right mind, believe that? Trust me, it's all strange like why Ishkq was wearing a random Harvard t-shirt in the end. It's also bizarre to see, how many people in France, speaks Hindi. I was really wishing for more fish out of water, type comedy, here with the Hindi trying to understand French cultures. Sadly, it doesn't. Instead, it relays on too many cheesy sound effects to get the unfunny jokes over. However, even with the weird parts, the main plot was blasé. Despite that, the acting in the film was fine for the most part, and the music was enjoyable. I just wish the movie could had been better. It was no coup de maître.
bobbysing
Wondering why Preity's first film as a producer was not releasing since last year, at first I thought that it has been delayed because another movie had just released in 2012 which was based on exactly the same theme. So probably they wished to keep a gap to avoid the obvious comparisons. Then in the beginning of this year it was reported that there were some financial issues which was the reason behind this strange delay. But just recently I was informed that Preity had herself stalled the release as her director was being treated for Cancer. Hearing the news I felt hugely shocked because this was something I had rarely seen happening in the film industry before, that a producer was more interested in the good health of his/her director than the release of the film itself. And for this I would eagerly like to give my utmost love, respect and salute to the lady in charge, Preity Zinta.Returning to the film, honestly I wished it to be a major hit just for Preity Zinta alone. But unfortunately my wish was not granted as the film turned out to be a big disappointment having nothing fresh to say in the genre of Love Stories. Moreover it was also frustrating to realize that it was yet another highly inspired version of the classic western series of BEFORE SUNRISE (1995) and BEFORE SUNSET (2004) directed by Richard Linklater. Incidentally, the third part of this series titled BEFORE MIDNIGHT featuring the same lead actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is scheduled to be released today itself in the west. And here we are still into making the repeated versions of their Ist parts only in 2013.As mentioned in the beginning, last year we had London Paris NEW YORK, based on the same much appreciated series, with a similar kind of script. And for the new friends here, this is what I had written in its review to be precise, "If you are a lover or have felt the true love ever in your entire past then do watch BEFORE SUNRISE (1995) and BEFORE SUNSET (2004) both, like an essential medication for your precious life. London Paris NEW YORK might be cute in its own limited way but director Richard Linklater's two babies really talk about something of the BEYOND..............which cannot be copied ever."And that's exactly, what I wish to convey here again about ISHKQ IN Paris, that few films can never be copied and its really foolish trying to create the same magic on the screen again with two different actors in a different region & language. In fact some cinematic gems are just meant to be cherished and not remade. And the truth needs to be understood well before you decide to go for something similar.For instance, we are very much interested in getting inspired from the foreign gems but still are too conservative when it comes to use the word 'Sex' on the screen. So here we have a dice in the film which readily shows everything from Party, Dinner and Coffee but is too shy to show the side having the three letter word written on it like a perfect Indian traditional dice. Apparently ISHKQ IN Paris has several such insertions which seem to be completely forced in to give it a more Indian feel. But not a single one comes out as a winner, resulting in a very clichéd, predictable & feeble attempt in the end.Firstly, there is no chemistry between its lead characters which doesn't let you feel the romance in their eyes ever. Secondly the narrative format (of a voice over) is quite annoying along with the foreign mother character, simply thrown in to justify the Paris angle. Shekhar Kapoor's cameo remains wasted and so is the location of Paris, since the city could have been used like a hidden character of the film as promoted in its title. Following the typical Bollywood pattern of nowadays, ISHKQ IN Paris reaches the same old Punjabi Wedding venue in the end and then there comes a Bhangra song too to ruin it further. In few words, the film has nothing much to say in its first half supporting a very slow progression and then the second half falls back to everything seen before and routine resulting in a lackluster climax, which can also be rated as childish.Unexpectedly, music is the weakest part of this romantic venture, wherein nothing manages to stay with you once its over. Not even the song in which Salman Khan gives a stage performance as his guest appearance (returning the favour, Preity did for his MR & MRS KHANNA). The cinematography and background score is just OK and the same can be said about its dialogues too, which do not have something special to offer to the viewers.So that brings us to the performances wherein Rhehan is sweet and confident but the film completely belongs to the vivacious Preity Zinta alone as she remains the lifeline of her self-produced project throughout. Such is the impact of her lively act that after a while it becomes painful to admit that the talented lady is putting so much effort into a film which has a very weak backbone or script in the first place. Preity enjoys the best of her form in ISHKQ IN Paris and that can become the only reason for the ones who wish to see it in the theaters.
